Prior to the commercialization of the rave scene, where large legal venues became the norm for these events, the location of the rave was kept secret until the night of the event, usually being communicated through mobile messaging, secret flyers, and websites.

This level of secrecy was necessary for avoiding any interference by the police, on account of the illicit drug use, enabled the ravers a location they can stay for 10 hours at a time, and it also promoted the sense of deviance and removal from social control.

Raving in itself is a syllabus free dance, whereby the movements are not predefined and the dance is performed randomly, harmonised with beats from music.